Group Psychosis, Communicated Insanity & The Social & Serial Bullying Dynamic in "The Big Brother House”

How does an entire house fall under a kind of spell that can lead to an almost hellish existence for certain Houseguests?Does it happen because they're locked up in a uniquely stressful situation? Definitely contributes. Can serve to trigger. But when it's.bad its probably because they're locked up with people who have the personality traits of Serial Bullies.Serial Bullies can be found in any kind of group situation, even inside families and the workplace. (*1.) BullyOnLine, a wonderful resource, says, "Most organizations have a serial bully. It never ceases to amaze me how one person's divisive, disordered, dysfunctional behavior can permeate the entire organization like a cancer." A Serial Bully in a Big Brother House would spend an enormous amount of time and energy, targeting, blaming, hating and victimizing one or two individuals in the house. This Serial Bullying leads to what I saw as some kind of ‘Group Psychosis.’ I went in search of answers and information to explain and support this theory I'd formed about this strange phenomenon. I think that a unique, mild form of ‘Group Psychosis’ can manifest out of the paranoia of one, or more strong, (sometimes) Narcissistic personalities who take over the direction and mood in a group or a house, by engaging in ‘Serial Bullying.’ Although I wasn't even sure there was something called,‘Group Psychosis,’ it didn't take long to find material to back my theory about the manifestation of ‘Group Psychosis’.

There's actually, literally tons of information about it.

Seems "Group Psychosis ‘is not only real, “it's one of the most important causes of war." So says, *(2) Robert Walder, in his:"Etiology and Course on Group Psychosis," In The International Journal of Psychoanalysis. (This is just the first paragraph, but it speaks volumes.)"Group psychosis differs from individual psychosis in regard to the capacity of its victims for making contacts. While the loss of contact of a person with his or her surroundings is the decisive criterion - (Like entering the Big Brother House) - of individual psychosis, contacts between members of a group under the influence of group psychosis are unimpaired.

The phenomenon known as 'Folie à deux', and

”Communicated Insanity,’ is fundamental in establishing a Group Psychosis and it is the *(3) Paranoiac, owing to his strong narcissism, who is particularly apt to induce other people to believe in his paranoiac system." Don't you love this phrase? Folie à deux; Communicated insanity. It so perfectly fits Big Brother.If we’re unlucky enough to have a Serial Bully inside a Big Brother House, he/she will divide and control with fear. Social & Serial Bullies spend an enormous amount of time and energy on negative emotion. They control the flow of gossip, information, and misinformation. They manipulate and distort. They show no remorse. Because they think everything they say and do is right they rule by a kind of implied right.Serial bullies feel that they're better than their victims. They feel their victims deserve less than them, because they believe they ARE less than them. This is communicated to the group. They have the best time tearing others down. But they crumple, and can get very ugly, if the shoe's on the other foot, or when they're no longer in charge.

Serial Bullies can be charismatic, and gifted liars. They can be bright and pretty, and funny to boot. But there's nothing funny about what comes out of their mouth. Except to them of course. They control weaker personalities in the house by targeting and victimizing one or two individuals, sometimes so viciously, the rest of the group falls into line, lest they be targeted too. Sounding familiar to you?This sometimes subtle, often overt manipulation of the mood in the house, allows them to control the direction and flow of the moves in the house. As for their victims, oh their poor victims. They may be unique.

They may be ordinary. They may be extra fragile, weak, pretty, or strong. There could be nothing at all unique or wrong with them at all, except that they arbitrarily rubbed the Social bully the wrong way. Once that happens, look out. The victim won't have a clue. Because they haven't done anything really wrong, per se. That won't stop the mocking and ridicule. The serial bully makes their lives’ hell; by repeating hateful rhetoric, making the victim sound so awful, so horrible, so unequal, they're not even considered worthy of fair treatment. Certainly no one's expected to keep their word to them. No one's really allowed, although this isn't stated aloud, to treat them fairly, or even decently. In fact, you better follow the will of the group, or else. Or else, you'll be the next one targeted for eviction, or become the recipient of what they've been dishing out. The victim can't depend on, or expect anything thereafter, but the very worst. The Serial Bully doesn't care if this hurts. They're only concerned with their own perceptions and feelings. The feelings of the victim, mean less than nothing. On a grander scale, this is how wars are started. It's how whole races have been victimized, and brutalized throughout history. BullyOnline estimates that, "One person in thirty, male or female, is a serial bully." I believe there have been more than a few Serial Bullies over the years in Big Brother. Not all if them were male. At least two females make the cut.There may have been as many as four at one time, only one time.I've decided not to name my candidates. Perhaps someone will come to mind as you read the characteristics of Serial Bullies here & at the end of this piece.

The past few years have been relatively mild compared to before. Maybe that’s what they wanted,at the beginning. Big, brash.Type-A personalities. Maybe not so much anymore.

The Big Brother experience presents a unique situation. House Guests are isolated from family and friends yet watched 24/7 by producers, handlers, the public and cameras.

They are told what they can eat, drink, say and do. House Guests face weeks of food insecurity. Big Brother Slop.Cold showers and humiliating punishments further serve to add to the paranoia, stress and worry.

Alliances are formed. The strong seek power. The weak seek safety.

This is when leaders emerge, Social and Serial Bullies would instinctively find this clime - prime.

They want them to bond. Of course they do.The House Guests form fast, often intense, personal relationships. Some fall in love. Even then they fret. Huddling in puddles of worry and sweat. And every single week they have to compete, while facing the possibility of eviction.

So perhaps the question is not how can this happen in the Big Brother House. But, how can it not?

*Here is a list of characteristics Serial Bullies share from: BullyOnline, Check out the list for yourself. You might recognize some that fit past Big Brother House Guests.You might even find a few that fit friends, family members, bosses, co-workers, even yourself.

*Apparently Serial Bullies can and do pop up everywhere and anywhere, causing Group Psychosis, or Communicated Insanity, and

The Serial Bullying Dynamic Sometimes Found in Big Brother

*From Bully Online:"How to spot symptoms of Serial Bullies, Sociopaths, and Psychopaths including the "Sociopathic Behavior of the Industrial Psychopath and the Corporate Psychopath.""Bully Online is a project of The Field Foundation and the world's largest resource on workplace bullying and related issues."

“A Serial Bully: Is convinced of their superiority and has an overbearing belief in their qualities of leadership, but cannot distinguish between leadership: (maturity, decisiveness, assertiveness, cooperation, trust, integrity), and bullying: (immaturity, impulsiveness, aggression, manipulation, distrust, deceitfulness). *Is highly manipulative, especially of people's perceptions and emotions. *Poison's people's' minds by manipulating their perceptions and emotions. *When called upon to share or address the needs and concerns responds with impatience, irritability and aggression.*Is quick to belittle,undermine,denigrate and discredit anyone who calls, attempts to call, or might call the bully to account.*Displays a compulsive need to criticize whilst simultaneously refusing to value, praise and acknowledge others, their achievements, or their existence.*Relies on mimicry,repetition and regurgitation to convince others that he or she is both a "normal" human being and a tough dynamic manager.“Is unusually skilled in being able to anticipate what people want to hear and then saying it plausibly.*Undermines and destroys anyone who the bully perceives to be an adversary, a potential threat, or who can see through the bully's mask.**Is adept at creating conflict between those who would otherwise collate incriminating information about them. *Is self-opinionated and displays arrogance, audacity, a superior sense of entitlement and sense of invulnerability and untouchability.*Gains gratification from denying people what they are entitled to.*Cannot be trusted or relied upon.*Fails to fulfill commitments. *Is emotionally retarded with an arrested level of emotional development; whilst language and intellect may appear to be that of an adult, The Bully displays the emotional age of a five-year-old.*Excels at deception and should never be underestimated in their capacity to deceive.*Uses excessive charm and is always plausible and convincing when peers, superiors or others are present.

*Has a deep-seated contempt of clients (substitute House Guests, for our purposes), in contrast to his or her professed compassion.*Often has an overwhelming, unhealthy and narcissistic attention-seeking need to portray themselves as a wonderful, kind, caring and compassionate person, in contrast to their behavior and treatment of others; The Bully sees nothing wrong with their behavior and chooses to remain oblivious to the discrepancy between how they like to be seen and how they are seen by others.

*Charm can be used to deceive as well as to cover for lack of empathy.*Is glib, shallow and superficial with plenty of fine words and lots of form - but there's no substance.*Is possessed of an exceptional verbal facility and will out manoeuvres most people in verbal interaction, especially at times of conflict.*Is a convincing, practiced liar and when called to account, will make up anything spontaneously to fit their needs at that moment.*Is often described as smooth, slippery, slimy, ingratiating, fawning, toadying,obsequious, sycophantic.*May pursue a vindictive vendetta against anyone who dares to hold them accountable, perhaps using others' resources and contemptuous of the damage caused to other people and organizations in pursuance of the vendetta.*Is emotionally immature and emotionally untrustworthy. Exhibits unusual and inappropriate attitudes to sexual matters, sexual behaviour and bodily functions; underneath the charming exterior there are often suspicions or hints of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, perhaps also sexual dysfunction, sexual inadequacy, sexual perversion, sexual violence or sexual abuse.*In a relationship, is incapable of initiating or sustaining intimacy.Holds deep prejudices (eg against the opposite gender, people of a different sexual orientation, other cultures and religious beliefs, foreigners, etc - prejudiced people are unvaryingly unimaginative) but goes to great lengths to keep this prejudicial aspect of their personality secret.*Is a control freak and has a compulsive need to control everyone and everything you say, do, think and believe; for example, will launch an immediate personal attack attempting to restrict what you are permitted to say if you start talking knowledgeably about psychopathic personality or antisocial personality disorder in their presence - but aggressively maintains the right to talk (usually un-knowledgeably) about anything they choose;

*Serial Bullies despise anyone who enables others to see through their deception and their mask of sanity.*Shows a lack of joined-up thinking with conversation that doesn't flow and arguments that don't hold water.*Refuses to be specific and never gives a straight answer.*Is evasive and has a Houdini-like ability to escape accountability.*Is arrogant, haughty, high-handed, and a know-all.*Has a Jekyll and Hyde nature - is vile, vicious and vindictive in private, but innocent and charming in front of witnesses;

*No-one can (or wants to) believe this individual has a vindictive nature

*Only the current Target of the Serial Bully's aggression sees both sides; whilst the Jekyll side is described as "charming" and convincing enough to deceive personnel, management and a tribunal, the Hyde side is frequently described as "evil";

*Hyde is the real person, Jekyll is an act."*Is quick to discredit and neutralize anyone who can talk knowledgeably about antisocial or sociopath behaviors.*Is spiritually dead although may loudly profess some religious belief or affiliation.*Is mean-spirited, officious, and often unbelievably petty.*Is mean, stingy, and financially untrustworthy.*Is greedy, selfish, a parasite and an emotional vampire.*Is always a taker and never a giver.*Is constantly imposing on others a false reality made up of distortion and fabrication.Sometimes displays a seemingly limitless demonic energy especially when engaged in attention-seeking activities or evasion of accountability and is often a committee- aholic or apparent workaholic."*Responsibility: "The Serial Bully appears to lack insight into his or her behaviour and seems to be oblivious to the crassness and inappropriateness thereof; however, it is more likely that the bully knows what they are doing but elects to switch off the moral and ethical considerations by which normal people are bound.If the bully knows what they are doing, they are responsible for their behavior and thus liable for its consequences to other people.If the bully doesn't know what they are doing, they should be suspended from duty on the grounds of diminished responsibility and the provisions of the Mental Health Act."From Bully Online:"How to spot symptoms of serial bullies, sociopaths, and psychopaths including the" sociopathic behavior of the industrial psychopath and the corporate psychopath.""Bully Online is a project of The Field Foundation and the world's largest resource on workplace bullying and related issues."*(2) Robert Wilder. 'Aetiology and Course of Group Psychoses.' With a Sociological Appendix: On the Historical Situation of the Present. Imago, 1935, Vol. XXI, pp. 67-91.. Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 17:225-227. From: The International Journal of Psychoanalysis*(3) Paranoiac is defined by Merriam-Webster as: "A psychosis characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations. And, "A tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others.